Women from the Abu Nabag refugee camp in eastern Chad fetching water from a pump (RD)

Sudanese refugees in camps in eastern Chad complain about the delay in the distribution of last year’s food rations, as well as the suspension of food aid, effective this month for an indefinite period of time.

“The UN World Food Programme (WFP) explained to the leaders of the 14 camps, that accommodate more than 400,000 refugees, that the delay and suspension are caused by a general food shortage,” a sheikh of the Djabal refugee camp told Dabanga Sudan.

He added that the residents of Djabal camp are also suffering from an acute drinking water crisis. “The operating hours of the camp’s water station are reduced from 18 to 8 hours a day.”

“The people now have to wait for hours to get some drinking water,” he said, urging the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) to intervene and solve the water problem as soon as possible.